Google’s Gemini Photo Features Blocked in Texas and Illinois Amid Privacy Concerns
Google has confirmed that two Gemini-powered Google Photos features — Ask Photos (which lets you query your photo library) and Conversational Editing (which lets you edit images via natural language) — are currently unavailable to users in Texas and Illinois. The company did not give a detailed explanation, saying only that it’s “working to determine how to make Ask Photos available to more users.”
Reporting points to recent legal settlements as a likely cause: Google settled an Illinois class-action over Google Photos privacy in 2022 for $200M, and earlier this year reached a $1.4B settlement with Texas over unauthorized data collection. Both cases involved concerns around biometric data and facial recognition, and the missing features require the Photos “face grouping” (automated facial recognition) setting to be enabled.
- What’s missing: Ask Photos (natural-language queries across your library) and Conversational Editing (text-based image tweaks).
- Why it matters: Both rely on face grouping, which uses automated facial recognition; some state laws demand explicit consent for biometric data collection.
- Timeline: Conversational Editing launched with the Pixel 10 in August and expanded to other Android phones in September; Ask Photos is part of the Gemini-powered feature set in Google Photos.
Legal and technical intersections make this a tricky area: even if a photographer consents to Google’s terms, subjects in photos typically haven’t, and state-level biometric-consent rules can force companies to restrict features by jurisdiction. Google appears to have opted for a region-limited rollout while it assesses compliance options.
For more details, see the original report on Engadget: Engadget article, and Google Photos help: Google Photos Help.
Discussion: Do you think state privacy rules should restrict AI-driven photo features, or is this an overcorrection that limits functionality for users? Let us know your thoughts below.